Meet Eryl Roberts7th Feb 2014

Eryl Roberts is the joint venture project manager for the civils and electrical engineering work on the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project.

The joint venture, a 50:50 partnership between Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK and Balfour Beatty, will deliver the balance of plant works at Vattenfall’s 76 turbine Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project in the South Wales valleys. We caught up with Eryl to find out what work is scheduled to take place over the coming months.

Hello Eryl, how is the site looking at the moment?

“It’s nice to be back after the Christmas break, ready to get work underway. This is an important project for all involved, and the joint venture is looking forward to finally getting started over the coming weeks. I have been with Jones Bros for 12 years now and have been working on wind farms for almost a decade, so I can’t wait to get started.”

When will your work on the wind farm begin?

“We will be breaking ground on February 3, and the first job is to establish a 100m by 100m welfare compound, from which the management team will be based. We will be using rock from a nearby borrow pit, which by August will become the location of the on-site substation. The compound will take three to four weeks to complete, and by the end of February, we will be expecting all cabins to arrive on site, with all of the accompanying plumbing and electrical work to follow.”

What other work is the joint venture responsible for?

“In late February we will also begin our work on the site tracks, crane pads and turbine bases. The 76 turbine bases and crane pads will require 50,000m³ of concrete and 6,000 tonnes of reinforcement, so it’s a significant part of the project that we are responsible for. To construct each turbine base, we need to continuously pour concrete for up to 14 hours, requiring about 70 loads from our on-site batching plant. We will also be constructing or upgrading 80km of access tracks, and laying a matching amount of cable. In the next six months, we plan to have work underway at 30 of the turbine locations, so it’s a very busy time on site.”

How will your work affect the general public?

“Once the joint venture’s work is underway, we will be responsible for all health and safety on site. As such, anyone that is working on site has to sign in at the site office, and they will be fully informed of the health and safety procedures in place across the site.

“For the public, signs will be present on all rights of way and mountain bike trails. It’s important to note that there will be a lot of site activity, and we must insist that the advice on these signs is followed at all times. All plant operatives will be told that people on public footpaths and mountain bike trails take priority. A daily briefing will also take place each morning, ensuring plant operatives are aware of planned work and any specific health, safety and environmental risks. However, we must also ask that the public stick to public footpaths and trails at all times. Access to work areas is strictly prohibited for your own safety.